Michigan
Northwestern
Games vs. Northwestern Canceled; Michigan to Play Four Against Illinois
4/28/2021 11:41:00 AM | Baseball
UPDATE (4/30/2021, 10:15 a.m.): The weekend game schedule has been altered due to COVID issues within the Northwestern program, with the Wildcats unable to compete. Michigan and Illinois will play a four-game series instead, with doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday (May 1-2) at Miller Park in Evanston, Ill., starting at 11:30 a.m. CDT each day. The second game of each doubleheader will begin approximately 40 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. All four games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.
» Michigan travels to Evanston, Ill., to play two games against both Northwestern and Illinois.
» Michigan lost its first weekend series of the year last weekend to Rutgers
» Michigan is ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball Magazine.
THIS WEEK
Saturday, May 1 -- Doubleheader vs. Illinois (Evanston, Ill.), 11:30 a.m. CDT
Live Stats | Game 1 Video | Game 2 Video
Sunday, May 2 -- Doubleheader vs. Illinois (Evanston, Ill.), 11:30 a.m. CDT
Live Stats | Game 1 Video | Game 2 Video
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan baseball team (19-9, 19-9 Big Ten) takes to the road for the Northwestern pod in Evanston, Ill., Friday through Sunday (April 30-May 2) for games against Northwestern (12-16, 12-16 Big Ten) and Illinois (13-14, 13-14 Big Ten) at Miller Park. The Wolverines will open the four-game set on Friday (April 30) with a 3 p.m. CDT game against the host Wildcats. On Saturday, U-M will face Northwestern at 10:30 a.m. CDT and Illinois at 3 p.m. CDT. Michigan will close the weekend with a matchup with the Illini on Sunday (May 2).
All four games will be streamed live on Big Ten Network Plus.
About the Series
• Michigan leads 142-106-3 in the all-time series with Illinois, which dates back to 1892. The teams split a pair of games earlier this season in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines taking the opening game 7-4 before Illinois claimed game two by a score of 8-1.
• Michigan leads 126-38 in the all-time series with Northwestern, which dates back to 1882. The teams split a pair of games earlier this season with Michigan taking game one 5-2 before Northwestern took the second meeting by a score of 4-1 in contests played at the University of Maryland.
About U-M
• Michigan is ranked No. 22 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper following its 1-2 weekend series defeat at home to Rutgers last weekend.
• Michigan (19-9, 19-9 B1G) struggled offensively against Rutgers last weekend in losing two of three to the Scarlet Knights. On Friday (April 23), the Wolverines came back from deficits of 3-0 and 4-2 to win going away, 6-4, behind a 10-hit attack. U-M could not keep momentum into the weekend, dropping the next two pitchers' duels by scores of 4-2 and 3-2.
• Michigan will look to lefty Steven Hajjar (2-0, 2.78 ERA, 45.1 IP, 58 K) on Friday, righty Cameron Weston (4-2, 3.00 ERA, 48.0 IP, 41 K) and lefty Jacob Denner (3-1, 4.00 ERA, 36.0 IP, 38 K) on Saturday and either Ben Dragani (2-2, 1.89 ERA, 19.0 IP, 15 H) or Blake Beers (0-1, 6.75 ERA) on Sunday.
• Benjamin Sems leads the offense with a .330 batting average, while ranking fourth on the team with 18 RBI. Ted Burton who hit an RBI triple on Friday and a two-run homer on Sunday, has batted his way to a .321 mark. Clark Elliott continues to lead the regulars with a .417 on-base percentage this season to go with a .294 batting average. Jimmy Obertop has hit eight home runs, including two of the team's four grand slams this season.
• Michigan's bullpen remains a strength, with U-M hurlers combining to throw 12 innings last weekend, allowing just six hits while striking out 13 batters.
 Graduate student Joe Pace (3-1, 2.16, 16.2 IP, 15 H, 21 K) has dazzled in various middle- and late-inning situations. Closer Willie Weiss (4-1, 3 SV, 1.15 ERA) continues to rank among the conference leaders in strikeouts per innings pitched with 27 Ks through 15.2 innings of work. He has struck out 11 batters over this last four innings of work.
Scouting Northwestern
• Northwestern (12-16, 12-16 B1G) dropped all four of its pod games last weekend in Iowa with two close losses to Maryland and two games against the Hawkeyes in which the Cats allowed 27 runs combined.
• Northwestern continues to be a formidable opponent, especially with its frontline starting pitchers and an offense that continues to be near the top of the Big Ten in many categories. Shawn Gooseneberg (.358, 11 HR, 9 2B, 26 RBI) and Anthony Calcaro (.336, 7 HR, 12 2B) lead the way while Stephen Hrustich (.263, 10 HR, 23 RBI, 38 K) and Michael Trautwein (.194, 9 HR, 27 RBI) are power threats.
• The Wildcats are in the middle of the pack of the conference pitching-wise with a 5.44 earned-run average but have remained consistent throughout the season. The Wildcats pitch to contact with a league-low 190 strikeouts. Northwestern has not announced weekend starters, but candidates include Mike Doherty (1-2, 2.86 ERA), Quinn Lavelle (4-2, 6.25 ERA) and Tyler Uberstine (2-3, 5.82 ERA).
Scouting Illinois
• Illinois (13-14, 13-14 B1G) enters play with an oddity of having competed against Purdue in each of its last five games, dating back two weeks. Purdue won the first two meetings, including a 20-6 decision on April 19, but Illinois won all three games last weekend on the road with a pair of one-run victories, including a combined no-hitter on Sunday in a 1-0 victory.
• The Illini are led offensively by Justin Janas (.379 batting average) while Branden Comia (.354, .492 OBP), Jackson Raper (.313, 7 HR, 9 2B) and Ryan Hampe (.297) follow.
• Illinois projects to start Andrew Hoffman (1-0, 3.77 ERA, 31.0 IP, 36 K) and Nathan Lavender (5-0, 3.55 ERA, 33 IP, 47 K) as it benefits from getting to start its top two pitchers against Michigan's third and fourth options this weekend.
